Ganga banaye devta,
Jamuna deviyaaN,
Aashiq magar bana sakey
Paani Chenab Da
[While the Ganga and Jamuna have produced gods and goddesses, lovers are born only from the waters of the Chenab.]
So said Prof Mohan Singh of Lahore, and later of Ludhiana. A contemporary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mohan Singh is also called the “poet of love”. Travelling through the lush green country side rejuvenated by the monsoon, one cannot help agreeing. The rivers of Punjab have had a deep and intimate impact on the psyche of the land and people. Passionate and emotional, this intense zest for life can, all too often, end in violent death. Be it Heer-Ranjha, Sohni-Mahiwal or Sassi-Punoon, thwarted lovers who would rather die than be parted from their beloved, Punjab has thrown up martyrs, from the fifth Guru Arjan Dev, tortured and executed by the Emperor Jahangir back in 1606, to Shaheed Bhagat Singh hanged by the British in 1931, aged just 23. (more…)
.jpg "Film Southasia")
